Technical Field
The present application relates to a system and/or coupling system for use with a spindle apparatus of a machine tool.
Description of the Related Art
The prior art discloses machine tools which can be used for both a material-removing processing and a material-depositing processing of a workpiece.
DE 10 2013 224 649 A1 describes a machine tool having a machine control, a machine frame, a workpiece table, a tool support preferably made in accordance with a standard, a plurality of translational and/or rotational axes for adjusting a relative position between workpiece table and tool support, a tool magazine for one or more material-removing, in particular machining, tools, a tool change mechanism for automatically moving tools between tool support and tool magazine, a deposition welding head that can be inserted into the tool support and a storage device for storing the deposition welding head outside the tool support.
WO 2014/013247 A2 describes a machine tool which is configured to conduct an energy source through a processing head to a workpiece, the machine tool having a clamping mechanism to accommodate the processing head or another processing head at times in order to process a workpiece. The processing head has one or more conduction mechanisms which are configured to direct the energy source to a workpiece, and a processing head support device where the processing head can be supplied with one medium or several media when used in order to make possible the processing of the workpiece, the processing head support device allowing to supply the medium or the media to the processing head when the processing head is connected to the clamping mechanism. The machine tool also has at least one mechanism which is configured to connect a supply support device to the processing head support device in such a way that when both support devices are connected the medium is supplied to the processing head.
An advantage for special machining types or special materials employed is when the processing head used for this processing is additionally supplied with energy on the outer side thereof. Due to the different dimensions of the various processing heads, the problem arises that when a processing head for a machining operation is replaced with a processing head for deposition welding, the device for the energy supply, which is required for the processing head for the machining operation but not for the processing head for deposition welding, stands in the way of the processing head for deposition welding so as to prevent an exchange of the two processing heads.
An object of the present invention is to provide a versatile, space-saving and cost-effective tool interface system or coupling interface system for machine tools, which can favorably be used in a particularly space-saving and cost-effective way and with favorably synergetic effects with respect to the advantageous energy and signal transmission and/or supply and to beneficially efficient, time-saving and versatile tool change possibilities and accurate tool and processing head alignment, in particular when hybrid machine tools are employed where optionally in addition to a conventional machining operation further processing possibilities can be combined, such as tool interface units which have electrical loads and which are used e.g., in ultrasonic processing, and/or in combination with material deposition processing heads for depositing material on the machine tool usually operating to remove material.
Therefore, a further object of the present invention is to provide a coupling system for a machine tool by means of which different tool interfaces or processing heads can be accommodated alternately at the same processing head support, as a result of which both a material-removing or machining workpiece processing and a material-depositing workpiece processing, e.g., deposition welding, can be carried out in an efficient, cost-effective and space-saving way without any limitations.